Method of making a retaining wall



W. J. NEWMAN METHOD OF MAKING A RETAINING WALL May 23, 1933.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .fizve flZ/z'aw f azz/771627 Filed Aug. ffifzg I I aPatented May 23, 1933 lseaese WILLIAM .J'. NEWMAN, or cHIcAeo', ILLINOISMETHOD OF MAKING RETAINING WALL Applicationfiled August 4, 1930. [SerialT1 70. 472,903.

--,;;This invention or discovery relates to undergroundconstruction workand more particularly to methods of drilling and eXcavating and to the.formation of retaining 75- walls. It is particularly adapted for use 1nmaking retaining walls adjacent to buildings or foundations which wouldordinarily require supportlng or shoring but which will ordinarlly requre no additional sups iport when adjacent walls are formed in accordancewith this method. 'It isalso adapted for use in building retaining wallswhere .water is apt'to be encountered in drilling 0r excavating and Iwill be particularly effec- ;11 tive for making retaining walls subwaysor the like. v a

The objectsof' this invention are to provide an improvedlretaining wallandanovel method of making the same; toprovide a .method of making awall by forming alternate sections and thenfilling in betweenthesections; toprovide a methodfor forming a wall underground in which thetrench or excavation is made by digging or drilling a plurality of holeswhicharezthen filled with concrete; to provide an improved method=forforming retaining walls and constructing a subway, basement or thelike; andto provide such other improvements inconstruction and.advantages as will 'appear more fully from the followingdescription. Inthe'accompanying drawings illustrating this invention; V f p Fig. 1 is aplan view showing the first row of holes which are spaced a'partorarranged intermittently; v, V, i

1Figp2 is a. vertical sectional View taken on the line 22 of Fig l andshowing the jfillingof one of the holes with concrete? Fig. .3 asectional View similarfto. Fig. 2, illustrating the next step of fillingthe intermediate holes which have been drilled or dug; between the postsor fc'olumns formed in the first named holes;

I Fig; leis a planview, showing one method of, placing. bracingbetweenktwo-fparallel walls or. twov series of columnslformed as.aboveshown; i i Fig. v5. isga vertical sectional view indicating thepartly completed-retaining walls.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the method of shoring when a singlewallis to built. i

intendedcto illustrate all of the details incident to the carrying outof the method but should be suflicient for anyone familiar withthisworkto perform the same.

Fig.6 is a sectionalview of, an'excavat1on with completed .retalningwalls; and

. 55 It will be understood that these drawings are more or less.diagrammatic and-are not The first stage of operatlon as lllustrated inFig. 1, consists in .the boring or drilling of a series of holes-orwells 6, preferably of the same diameter and spaced apart adistanceofapproximately equal to the diame ter thereof These holes or wells areprefi erably made under water pressure, that is, each well is kept fullof water during the entire drilling or boring operation. By maintainingthe pressure in this manner the wells are not apt to cave inand therewill ordinarily be little or no settling of the adjacent ground so thatit will not be necessary to braceor protect any adjacent build-v; lngsor structures, 'One well may. bebored and filled and then thenextsucceedi'ng well bored and filled through the series, i or if Iconditions are suitable, the whole series may be bored andthen filled.The holes are filled with concrete by placinga tube or pipe 7 in'thehole, which. extends to the bottom and then depositing the concretethrough this tube, :raisingv the tube as the hole fills up; As shown inFig.- 2, the,

concrete 8, as it is]. deposited in the hole gradually forces the wateror liquidlcontents :upwardly and out of the hole until the hole isfilled. If desired, any suitable reinforcements such as steel'rods 9maybe. placed n posltionfor reinforcing the concrete many well-knownmanner.

, When the series of holes '6 l as been, filled Qwith concrete, anotherseries of holes as indicated at 10 is made'between the holes. .of thefirst series.

These holes are made as large asp ossible and preferably so thattheywill be tangential to orin contact with the columnsor pillars 11formed in the first named series. Theseholes are also prefer-a ablybored under water pressure, that is, by leavlng water or liquid sludgeor the like, in the holes as the boring progresses,

to press or pound the 'concrete'down into the hole and to force the sameoutwardly against the sides and particularly to force the same againstthe surfaces of the adjacent columns. During this tamping or pressingactionthe concrete in one of the intermediate holes lOwill be forcedagainst or spread around'a portion 'of' the outer periphery of theadjacent ,columns 11 as shown at 13 in Fig. 4. This tamping ispreferably done by means of a pile driver orother suitable apparatuswhich will provide sufiicient force to drive the concrete into any voidsin the sides of the wells or which may exist between the columns orfirst set of holes and the respective holes of the second series. Thisforms a substantially" continuous wall which is adapted to support theadjacent earthin a manner similar to sheathing or in some cases mayserve as a complete retainingwall. A wallof this charactermade inaccordance with? my improved method is particularly adaptedto be madethrough clay, quicksand, sand and water or Where the conditions aredifiicult for digging and making a wall in the usual manner.

While the above I'desc'ribed method of boring. or drilling alternateholes in; the series, filling them with concrete and allowing theconcrete to set before drilling the intermediate holes is adapted foruse in some instances, Ihave found from actual construction that ifthethird hole of the series is drilled before the concrete in the firsthole is set, the concrete may tend to break through the intervening wallof earth thereby greatly'interfering with the operation. It maytherefore be advisable in order to expedite the work to vary this orderof operation. For instance, instead ofdrilling and filling the firsthole, as indicated in Figure 1, and then the third hole, I have foundthat it may be advisable to drill the first hole and then skip two ormore spaces before drilling the next succeeding hole. This is advisableas the work on the second hole may proceed without waiting for theconcrete in the first hole to set. After the first holes consisting ofthe first, fourth,

seventh, etc. in a series, for instance, have been drilled and filled,then the next succeeding holes, two, five, eight, etc. maybe same whilethe earth or material is being excavated therebetween. As shown in thisfigure, beams'or Walers 16 are placed along the columns forming thewalls l4'and 15 and theseare pressed against the walls by means of jackscrews 17 and drums or braces 18 thereby providing suitable shoring forholding the walls until the material between the same is excavatech'foi'instance, as indicated' npFlg. 5. Ofcourse, any number of shoringdevices may bensedr and if necessary additional; shoring putin positionas the excavating proceeds; j

If a single wall is to be built the shoring may extend to'the oppositeface of the ditch or excavation :as shown in Figure 7 instead ofengaging with anotherset of columns. \Vhen'the excavationis completedany desired formsmay beplaced in positioninside 'of the row or columnsand thejwalls can 'be..

completed as indicated at 19 in Fig. ,6, which shows an additional.facing or bracin wall which ma be made sufficiently thic r, and properlyattered ortapered to withstand the pressure after theshoring'has been're-,.

'moved. It will be'noted, thatby means of" this improved method, wallsmay be! formed along the sides of a street without njuring orinterfering .with'the adjacent buildings and the material then removedfrom between.v

the walls as fora subway or the like. It will also benoted that thisimproved method is adapted for building retaining walls of all kinds andtherefore I j do-not'wish to be limited to any particular constructionora'r-r rangement herin set forth and describedex 'ceptas specified in thefollowing claims in which I claim:

1. The herein described method which earth, which are spaced apart, saidholes being keptfullof water or sludge during the making thereof, thenfilling said holes bydischarging concrete through pipes 'ex- 'sists inmaking two'or' more ,holesin the tending to the bottom of the holes,which,-

pipes are gradually raise'das the holes are filled and the water forcedout therefrom; then making holes intermediate of the'fi'rst named holes,said last named holes being substantially tangent to theadjacent holes,

then filling the last named holes in the same manner as thefirst namedholes and finally tamping'or pressing the concrete in the last namedholes before it is set to force the. same first named, holes; Y

against the adjacent columns formed in the 2. The method of buildingretaining walls which consists in drilling a series of holes which arespaced apart, filling said holes with concrete, then drillingintermediate holes between the holes of the first named series, thenfilling said intermediate holes with concrete and forcing the concretedownwardly to make contact with the adjacent columns, then bracing thewall thus formed at one side thereof and excavating the earth adjacentto such side and finally constructing a reinforcing abutment wall on theface of the wall.

3. A method of forming a retaining wall below the surface of the groundwhich consists in making a series of holes which are.

spaced apart, filling said holes with concrete and allowing the same toset, then removing the earth from between the columns of concrete thusformed and then filling such holes with concrete to complete the wall.

' 4. The herein described method for forming a wall which consists inboring a series of excavations at intervals substantially equal to thediameter of said excavations, then filling the same with concrete andallowing the same to harden into a series of columns and then boring asecond series of excavations in the intervals between the first seriesof columns and then filling the same with concrete and allowing the sameto harden to complete the wall structure.

5. The method of forming a wall structure which consists in forming aseries of excavations at intervals substantially equal to multiples ofthe diameter of said excavations, then filling the same with concreteand allowing the same to harden into a series of columns, then boringanother series of excavations in the intervals between the first seriesof columns and contiguous to said columns, filling the same withconcrete and allowing the same to harden and continuing such operationsuntil all of the intervals between the first-named columns have beenfilled to complete the wall structure.

6. The method of forming a wall structure which consists in making aplurality of holes in the earth which are spaced apart, then fillingsaid holes with concrete and allowing the same to set, then making holesbetween said concrete-filled holes whereby substantially all of thematerial is removed from between adjacent concrete-filled holes andfinally filling the intermediate holes with concrete.

7 The method of forming a trench or well with side walls which consistin making walls on either side thereof by forming a series ofexcavations at intervals substantially equal to multiples of thediameter of said excavations, then filling the same with concrete andallowing the same to harden into a series of columns, then forminganother series of excavations in the intervals between the first seriesof columns and contiguous to said columns, filling the same withconcrete and allowing the same to harden and continuing such operationsuntil the intervals between the columns have been filled to complete thewall structure, then placing braces between the upper portions of theopposite walls and finally excavating the material from between thewalls.

intervals between the first-named columns 7 have been filled, thenapplying transverse bracing between the opposed faces of the columns oneither side of said subway, then excavating the earth to the desireddepth, and finally constructing reinforcing facings on the inner sidesof the first-described Walls.

WILLIAM J. NEWMAN.

